I want a race between the turbo XF you are building and Web's SCed Limited and see who wins

(then we will see who lasts longer than 10,000 miles and I will ask that person to build me a kit LOL)

 

I think it should be part of a requiremnet for all build threads that the poster provides a full accounting of all parts and cost with links to sites to purchase parts.

 

or provides an opportunity to buy the complete kit from them at the end

 

This was just joking, right??

 

No need for Web (or anyone) to give out all of his hard work, maybe he wants to perfect a kit for the masses. The R&D on this is his baby, it is very nice that he is sharing the build with us, I have really enjoyed this thread. Keep up the good work and the posts of course.
Joe

 

well' i'll be intercooled with meth injection. If I can swing it, I should be able to build a kit, but it wont exactly be bolt on as it will require relocating the ecu and battery but the intercooler piping will be stupidly short, less than 2ft

 

X 2 .... Exactly.

 

I ran into a couple of self imposed snags but am now 100% in the CLEAR!!! I was running into a really weird thing after I installed the shift solenoids. I was getting an O2 heater code even after I reverted the O2 system back to stock. I was also getting a lean condition at WOT and misfire codes. I toiled over it a bit, double checked wiring etc. Keep in mind that I had been data logging with the SPD only and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. I then decided to hook up my laptop and log with the piggyback as well and see if I could see anything there and BAM. Early on I was playing with the MAF clamp and had it set to 3.75 volts This means I got a good fuel reading up to there and pow, the thing would fall on its face.

The funny thing is, I changed the 3.75 to a 0 to null it out. Then I took her for a test drive and she was bogging on light throttle. Look over at the AEM gauges and the MAF output voltage was indeed "0" Kind of funny actually. So then I had to bump the MAF clamp up to 5.26 so it wouldn't come into play. The neat thing about this accidental experiment is that she was still maintaining a 13.1:1 AFR at WOT with no MAF signal. The only difference was a stumbling on slow starts. Very interesting the play between MAF and MAP on this car..

Once I fixed this, the o2 heater code also disappeared. So the MAF voltage being off in conjunction with TPS and other factors was making the car think there were other problems. Kind of weird that last one, but oh well. I'll have to make a note of that one in case it crops up again.

Other than that, I have been working on the electronics and getting some nice good long logs of beating on the car in stock form. Later, I can use these logs to compare and see what I might need to do with the AEM to help fool the stock ECU into not thinking it has a SC.

I also ordered a Motorola MAP sensor that works with the SPD. This last step will free me from the AEM logging 100% and allow me to tune strictly from the SPD. I've calibrated the AEM maps accordingly and everything is set to match 100%. This is a real treat and is going to make things SO much easier.

So, I've been thinking about next steps and I'm set on installing the SRT injectors next and adjusting the AEM to compensate and getting the otherwise stock car back to perfect. Once I achieve that next milestone, I can then finally start bolting on the go fast parts

This will make it easier to peel back the layers if troubleshooting future problems gets "complicated".

Note: Shift solenoids. I don't think it is my imagination and it makes perfect sense. The tranny seems a bit easier all the way around by putting it in winter mode. In "standard" mode it is excellent for hitting it hard but the downshifts to a stoplight can be annoying. So, S for spirited driving and W for taking the wife to dinner. I'll prove this out a bit more and touch base when I have some more miles with it under my belt.

Note: I was also playing around with tapping the stock MAP sensor and using it to match the AEM maps. It appears that the stock limited MAP is a 1.5 bar sensor for those that may be interested later. It was at 3.7v with the car off or an absolute pressure of 14.7 so that doesn't leave much room!

Note: AFR. I mentioned it before but I had to say something again because I was impressed. Most OEMS shy away from a beautiful 13.1:1 AFR. However, mercedes did right by us as far as the AF goes as she is exactly where she needs to be. So many cars run rich and power can be found simply by leaning them out at WOT. Too bad I can't advance timing with the AEM to see if there is anything left on the table in the form of spark.

Oh well, the next update will come after the injector install. Looking further ahead, we finally enter the Rotrex zone!

 

Yea, the map/maf blending is weird. IIRC it runs off of a map/maf blend until wot is reached and it runs off of ve and maf.
We had a similar problem when we first started tuning the z06 due to the map.maf blending

 

Installed the srt6 injectors, made one tuning run, and came home and worked out my tuning spreadsheet and an import filter for viewing the spd logs with my favorite program. I adjusted the tune, shot it in the car, and the car no starty. I had the dreaded crank position sensor CEL a couple of times and ignored it thinking it was noise in the wiring. I guess I should have ordered a replacement at the first sign

Now I have to wait to resume until it gets here!!

Oh well, now I can spend the holiday weekend with my family!

 

Boooooo......

 

congrats man, looks like you are really kicking a$s on this thing. really awesome to finally see someone dedicated to this platform with something that can be done by the masses. HDDP knows i am eternally thankful and respectful towards him for everything he did for us on here, and mostly for getting me into road racing (couldn't live without it now), but the mods he ended up doing were sssssssssssuuuper expensive. your's are reasonable and honestly, pretty bad ***.

keep up the good work, mad respect from one of the oldest vets on this board. sorry for busting your ***** early on.

 

You are going at it with patience...one hurdle at a time....and makes for a great read, and positive outcome...good for you...a professional build...Lantana has got to be loving this read...he attacked his build in a similar manner and it turned out well for him...different build, but similar in work ethic...keep it up....and like the poster above stated, you are keeping it reasonable in the $$$$ area as well...

 

Thanks a million for the positive comments. It is sometimes difficult to not jump right in and start bolting things in place. However, the one thing this community prepped me for was some of the complexity headed my way. That said, I am dedicated to the step by step, one at a time approach. I always want that "last known good config" in which to resort when I run into a problem. Sometimes that makes for not so instant gratification, but I do hope it makes for a smooth ride!

Thanks again and more to come!

 

I decided it was about time for an update as it has been a little while. I've been messing with the electronics. I solved the crank sensor issue and moved on to tuning with the srt injectors. It was running great except for a light stumble on tip-in. I played with it for a while then upgraded the firmware on the AEM to a new beta with tip-in control and bam, nice and smooth.

So, I pulled her in the garage this morning and worked on my plasma cut SC mount. It needed some cleaning up and the holes drilled. I took care of that in short order, picked up the bolts and washers that I needed and mounted the Rotrex. I then wasted some time on the SC belt. I found a 5 rib (not what I wanted, but it helped me identify the right size) belt and installed it. It looks like I'm going to have to re-position my tensioner a bit to get the most out of it.

It was getting late, so I decided to start cutting hoses and mock up what I envisioned. I need another 90 degree hose to finish her off and I have to incorporate the BOV before the IC. The intake track comes out, down, and underneath the headlight (the blue hose is going away, it is there from an earlier test and was pre-cut). The plan is to route it over into cool air and cap it with a filter.

The rest is there minus cleaned up ends and t-clamps!



So now I have to circle back to the tensioner and belt until I am happy with that part. I also have to pickup some cooler plugs, the last 90 degree silicone hose, a 6-rib belt, etc.

Then I have to address the front mount HE, water pump, hoses, the rotrex fluid HE, and rotrex fluid reservoir.

Believe it or not, the hood actually closes!

 

Great work! The project is coming along very well..... look forward to seeing how it does when finished...

 

Wow looks awesome! Can't wait for drivability tests and the numbers.

 

Looks good. The throttle body closes between shifts so you may need to add a blow off valve to your setup. I don't know if it closes completely or partially because I was running a draw thru setup.

 

So this morning a set about writing a list of tweaks. It actually came out smaller than I thought. My tensioner is working good as is and is not an issue. I will only have to change it in the event I run into slippage issues later. I have to trim a little off the SC bracket to address a small clearance issue with the serpentine belt, adjust the idler pulley in the horizontal plane to more closely follow the SC belt, shim the top of the bracket out by one washer, drill out the top bracket mount hole just a bit, install my cooler plugs and new (6) rib belt that I am picking up this afternoon, design a light brace for the top of the SC bracket and bolt it to the motor, then the SC is ready to bolt into place for quite a while

Then I can work on the final tweaks of the plumbing and filter placement as well as the rest of the parts list. I bought some copper tubing that I will use to run a boost signal to the fuel pump and our built in RRFPR, how cool is that!

I did get a slight scare when I pulled out the Rotrex fluid reservoir and didn't see a 100% obvious place to put it! Of all things to squash a project, wouldn't that be a bummer. I went inside, grabbed a cup of coffee, came back out and there you go. A little caffeine was all I needed

BTW - I did want to report that changing the switch on the console from S to W does soften up the shifts. They are still quite firm but not to the point of being clunky. Set it to S and things get a little bit different All in all, I am happy with the solenoid upgrade. However, I wouldn't recommend it to the luxury driver. You have to have the need for a little kick in the pants or it might not be for you. Personally, I'm hoping this little mod allows me to put a little more power to the rear wheels before needing anything "major" tranny mods.

 

thanks for the tranny update. I have been sitting on this mod for some time...I have the roadster for touring and playing, so I am adding the tranny mod to list for the coupe...never would have given the winter mode a thought...